


Warmth in The Cold

by serenesavagery (windrunnerdreamer)



Category: Cinderella Phenomenon (Visual Novel)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Hot Chocolate, Ice Skating, Light Angst, Secret Relationship, Snowball Fight, Snowballing, Teasing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-06-24 02:54:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19714825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windrunnerdreamer/pseuds/serenesavagery
Summary: Fritz takes out Lucette for a hobby of his.





	Warmth in The Cold

* * *

_"It'll be fun!"_

That was exactly what Fritz had said and Lucette was not believing it. 

Not upon seeing the medium sized ice rink that had been a product of Angielle's current winter. 

"Fritz, is it safe?" Lucette blurts out against her own will for the fifth time. 

And yet, dear Fritz has never tired of her asking that question, as he only now turns back to look at her with a gentle smile. 

"Safe as safe can be, Lucette." He says, his eyes crinkling. 

Lucette makes a face, and Fritz laughs, light and rich. 

"All right then, put on your ice skates like I showed you yesterday." Fritz says, looking at her appraisingly. 

Lucette blushes under his gaze- even when she's strapping her ice skates on. 

Fritz had assured her it would definitely be all right if she didn't have a penchant for it on the first day or if it wasn't really something she wanted to see more of in the future. 

But Lucette so badly wanted to try; if this was how people her age and below had fun during the winter, she wanted to know for herself how it felt. 

"All right. Now hold my hand." Fritz says, holding out his own. 

_"Relying on others is a sign of weakness, dearest. Surely I raised you better than that."_

Lucette doesn't know why or how it happened, Mother's voice filling her head every time she wanted to trust someone, love someone. 

She swallows a growing lump in her throat at the cold voice filling her head but then she remembers. Fear would only drag her down. And so she closes her eyes. 

She shakes her head at the voice, freeing her mind from Mother's voice. 

When she opens her eyes, it is to Fritz's surprised and hurt face, and before he can say anything Lucette blushes out of embarrassment. 

"Not...at you, Fritz." She says, hesitating for the briefest of moments before deciding she could most _certainly_ be open with Fritz. 

"It's just..." Lucette points a finger at her head. "Mother's ideas are still in my head. Sometimes...I have to refuse them." 

Lucette feels very silly explaining this and for letting her altered memories get the better of her, but then Fritz, he smiles, gentle and caring. 

And in that smile, there is understanding- something Lucette craved the most. 

She latches on to his hand as quickly as possible, and Fritz smiles brighter, a little toothily, squeezing her hand back. 

"I understand." He says, softly. 

And from the way sadness and anger flashed in his gold eyes- so like hers yet more beautiful, Lucette knew he understood. 

Fritz took one look at their interlinked hands and the hard steel in his eyes instantly softened into a happy gleam. 

"Let's just have fun, okay?" He chirps and Lucette smiles. 

"I intend to." She says mock loftily and Fritz laughs, his cheeks growing rosier with unblemished happiness. 

"All right then. Baby steps, remember. Now, follow me." Fritz says, stepping on the rink. 

Lucette's knees stop shaking the second she realises her feet, or rather her shoes, are firmly on the ice and that she hadn't fallen contrary to prior expectations. 

"Now," Fritz now turns to face her, and now only his fingers are holding on to her hand. 

"I'll just move. Follow me as slowly as possible. Try to get a feel of moving around." Fritz says, seriously. 

Lucette nods, looking up at him. "I thought something enjoyable didn't involve such a tedious process." She jokes. 

Fritz chuckles. "You haven't even started, Lucette. Remember. Slow and steady works it. If I held on to you, you're not going to be able to learn it on your own, and it's better if you..." Fritz is clearly racking for words as he looks up before starting again. "Feel for yourself how it is, you know?" Fritz finishes, looking a little nervous. 

Lucette nods. "It makes sense. So, how far?" 

Fritz points to the nearest edge of the rink. "I'll be standing there. Try walking, and don't worry about falling; it happens to the best." Fritz says, eyes crinkling up. 

Lucette makes a face but is admittedly surprised by this new side of Fritz- he wasn't as...protective as usual. 

He genuinely seemed to want her to try this on her own as much as possible. 

"I'll skate over there. It helps if you watch how I do it. Don't imitate me- just try it out." Fritz finishes, and Lucette nods again. 

Fritz moves over to the edge, hands in his pockets and leaning forward. 

Lucette widens her eyes; what Fritz was doing could only be called _gliding_. 

He then stops, turns, and waves at her encouragingly. 

Lucette heaves an inhale. Walking first. 

She put one foot over the other, and once she seemed she wouldn't fall immediately, she gained confidence and started moving just a little faster, spreading her arms to gain balance. 

Alas, at the fifth step- Lucette's knees gave way and she would have slipped down face first if not for Fritz moving and catching her quickly by the waist. 

"You okay?" Fritz asks, and Lucette, breathing in to dispel the sudden nausea, nods. 

"Yes. I just slipped. Go over there. I want to try again." Lucette says, firmly. 

Fritz widens his eyes and Lucette can see the concern distilled in there. "You sure?" 

"Yes. It's not as bad as I thought it was." 

Fritz's face is etched with doubt before he smirks slightly, and the challenge in it reminds Lucette of someone. 

No, of Fritz himself, she reminds herself. 

It wasn't the time to be thinking of that. 

"If you say so, Lucette." 

The challenge in his voice spurs Lucette on and she looks up at him with eyebrows raised. 

"I'm more than sure. Let's try again." 

At the end of it, Lucette has fallen down more than ten times (precisely seventeen times), had earned bruises over which Fritz had fussed until Lucette had thrown snow in his face and there may have been a snowball fight. 

Fritz stared at her in shock. 

A corner of Lucette's mouth goes up in nervous glee. 

Fritz blinks at the snow falling from his face before grinning. 

"All right then- remember, you started it, princess." 

_"Oh dear."_

Famous last thoughts Lucette, she thinks to herself in horror as a snowball is aimed for her face. 

Lucette holds up her hands, hissing when she feels the cold ice hit her fingers and then the snow slides down from them. 

"I intend to finish it then." Lucette says, taking a handful of snow and awkwardly rolling into a snowball. 

Fritz laughs at her attempts and Lucette goes red. 

"Oh, shut up." Lucette hisses in embarrassment, widening her eyes when she realises her hands have molded the snow into a ball on their own. 

"Now you're in for it, Fritz." Lucette says, smirking as she pelts a ball at him. 

Fritz clearly wasn't prepared- the ball hits him square in the face and from there it's an all out war. 

Lucette had clearly won- if the way she pelted snowballs at Fritz relentlessly until he had fallen gracelessly on the snow was any indication. 

"Ha." Lucette says with a grin so unlike herself as she takes a sip of her hot chocolate. 

They are at the Marchen now, after Fritz acquiesced that yes, Lucette indeed did win and that he should therefore take her out for hot chocolate. 

(A little tradition in fact- Fritz had spoken with a sad smile that remembering Delora should have to be through having a good time, not in a mournful manner. 

Lucette had agreed. After sobbing into his shoulder.) 

"The princess looks pleased with herself, good knight- I trust it was your doing?" Karma asks with a smirk as he serves Fritz hot chocolate. 

"I let her win at a snowball fight." Fritz says with a slight smirk, making Lucette swat at his arm. 

"You did not let me win, I won fair and square." Lucette says with a frown bearing no malice. 

In fact, Fritz notes with his smirk softening, Lucette is pouting like a child. 

Karma laughs at them before running off to talk to Waltz, who waves at them from another table. 

The fire is burning warm, like a mother's hug. 

"Maybe." Fritz teases and Lucette swats at his arm some more. 

"I won." Lucette says and Fritz laughs, tucking a lock of her hair away. 

The action makes her flush. "I threw five snowballs at you all at once. I most certainly won it." 

Fritz smiles, pecking her cheek. "You certainly did, princess." 

"Now you're just being indulging." Lucette grumbles but she's grinning too, her cheeks flushed from the cold and happiness. 

"Only for you." Fritz says, putting an arm around her shoulder. 

Lucette's smile is soft. 

Fritz knows what she wants to say and he doesn't mind that she doesn't say it outwardly. 

The way she snuggles into his side for warmth is more than enough. 

"Tomorrow? Same time at the rink?" Fritz asks, looking up at the wooden ceiling and pondering on his good fortune. 

"Mhmm. Sure, Fritz. Ice skating isn't that bad, I guess." Lucette hums sleepily.

"Even though you fell-"

"Not a word." Lucette grumbles before falling asleep on his shoulder.

Fritz only grins. "If you say so, Lucette. If you say so." 

**Author's Note:**

> So I was agonising over this for so long!!! This game is really special to me, so writing this was kinda important for me haha  
>  I might do another shot next week if I have time ajsndmsms, why do they keep school for twelve mothereffing hours


End file.
